CH 57

The secret contracts found at the Pirate’s hideout.

The question about this incident was simple and straight forward.

“You found these documents in the hideout of the Pirates that were using the island as their base?”

“Yes, if you traveled from the abandoned town along the coast to the north, you will find a location between the rocky mountain ー a location that would have only looked like a hole if a ship was not docked inside ー there we found the hideout.”

And there, we also found many stolen merchandise.

Maybe we could call it a treasure vault? In the far back, in a small room, we found the documents sealed inside bottles ー most likely to protect it from being damaged by humidity.

“We have sailors who were attacked by the Pirate’s ship and were forced to work for them back on the island. If you need to confirm, it will take some time, but you can obtain testimonies from that crew.”

“I see. We do not need to go that far. We have already gotten evidence of this ourselves.”

“Evidence?” And one of the men was called forward.

The man was a merchant and bowed his head very low as he saw me.

Avenges: “He is a merchant from Andestan. He is well known among the Royal and Noble families.”

ーーis what Avenges whispered to me.

Oh. I wonder why such a merchant was called forward…….oh, I think I can guess.

It’s possible that his ship was raided by pirates and those shipmentsーー

And as I pondered, I listened to the conversation, and it was just as I predicted.

The merchant was named Rotonoa testified that he traveled to the Southern Continent himself last year to purchase goods.

Rotonoa: “I have a habit of engraving my family seal secretly on things I like.”

“Family seal?”

“Yes. Well, for merchandise I am selling, I would place the seal in a not-so-obvious location so you wouldn’t be able to notice it from the outside, you see.”

And that year, he was able to gain many merchandise that delighted him and was in great spirits.

But it was that ship that carried all his favorite cargo that was attacked.

Rotonoa: “Yes……I lost a lot of wealth that year. On top of that, the ship was badly damaged, and many of the sailors were dead.”

And Rotonoa let out a deep sigh.

And he looked up towards the Marquis of Lonneberg who was in cuffs.

Rotonoa: “When I went to the Marquis’ mansion, the Lady Lonneberg proudly showed me her collection of furniture.”

Luke: “Ohーー......and among them…”

Rotonoa: “I was not able to verify then. The seal was placed in a hidden spot.”

But he was certain that it was one of his favorite merchandise.

Rotonoa: “So when I heard that the Kingdom was investigating the victims of the pirates from the Merchant’s Guild, I jumped up in joy.”

Because otherwise, it would be impossible for him to demand to see the furniture in the Marquis household.

And he confirmed that on the Lady Lonneberg’s furniture was indeed his seal.

“From the Marquis’ testimony, the furniture was a gift from the Duke of Apponto. Are you certain of this?”

“YーYes. It was gifted to me from my father-in-law.”

My step-mother was opening and closing her mouth several times.

I wasn’t sure if she was trying to say a rebuttal or demanding for food.

“We have also discovered furniture with the Rotonoa Seal in the Duke’s residence. The Duke is denying the claims, but his servants have confessed and spilled the details.”

“The Duke of Apponto is currently imprisoned in the base dungeon. He will be tried by the King himself later today. He will not be able to wriggle out of this one.”

“We wanted to gather evidence ourselves, but this caused a delay in responding to the Tronstad Kingdom. Prince Eriol, we apologize for making you wait for a reply.”

Eriol: “No, I am just accompanying Lou Quain today. I am indeed glad to see that through your Majesty’s wisdom, you have justly prosecuted the criminals and to know of this in person.”

The Duke of Apponto will most likely be executed.

It’s an obvious result.

One of the defenders of the country allied themselves hand in hand with criminals and ruined the peace, and because of that, many sailors lost their lives.

Now, the King turned his attention to the Marquis of Lonneberg and his family.

“Lou Quain, what outcome do you desire?” Luke: “YーYour Majesty? I do not understand your question.”

“Being born in this family, you have suffered many injustices. I am sure you have a few grudges or two against the Marquis or his wife.”

Grudges…..?

Well, yeah, I can think of something. Or well, I guess there definitely is.

They would not let me attend my mother’s funeral.

They did not give me a chance to get my mother’s mementos.

But that’s about it.

I didn’t particularly dislike living in the servant’s quarters.

The milk maid was very kind to me, and though it wasn’t a lot of food, I still had 3 meals a day.

The Orc Mother and Son worked me down to my bones, but it was a good learning experience for when I’m out in the real world.

And because of that, I got to know Roku.

They kicked me out of the household and sold me to slave traders, but I got to meet Sia, and as a result, I obtained freedom.

I look again at my father, the Marquis of Lonneberg, my step-mother, and my younger half-brother.

The Marquis held his gaze firmly to the ground, but his face was ghostly white without an ounce of life left in it.

My mother did not have cuffs that fit her and was wrapped around tightly with chains they use for large beasts. On top fof that, two Knights held their swords with their blades at her throat.

She must have finally realized her position and had tears welling up in her eyes on her pale face.

Endin was………probably too hungry to think about anything else and was sitting on the ground holding his stomach.

Luke: “It is clear that my father, the Marquis of Lonneberg was connected to those pirates. And it may be possible that my step-mother is as well, but it doesn’t change the fact that they sold me to pirates.”

“Yes.”

Luke: “In that case, there is nothing further that I have to do. They will be judged according to the law.”

“I see……if you desired, I would have allowed you to avenge yourself here and now, but I will respect your wishes.”

Right here, right now……? Like, he would allow me to behead these two right now? Yeah…………no thanks. Putting aside the Marquis of Lonneberg, it would just be gross to do that to my step-mother, so I’m good.

“LーLou Quain, I’m sorry. IーI was wrong. Let’s start over. Let’s start over as a family, yes?” Luke: “No, I’ll have to decline. There was not a single day where I thought of you as a father.”

Since I was born, there was not a single time this man came to see meーnot once.

We lived in the same Mansion so we would occasionally run into each other, but the only time he spoke to me was to tell me to do another job.

“Then I will deliver the verdict. Edestra Lonneberg. I will revoke the status I have bestowed upon you. You, your wife, and your son, Endin, will be sentenced to forced labor in the Dialos Mines. There is no expiration to your sentence. Do you understand what that means?” And in this moment, the Lonneberg family was abolished.